The consultation room in the Imperial Medical Institute was a sterile haven of soft whites and muted silvers, its walls adorned with holographic panels that pulsed with faint, calming light. The air carried a crisp, clinical scent, undercut by the low hum of diagnostic equipment tucked discreetly into the room's sleek design. Beyond the reinforced windows, Youdu Star's twin moons cast a ghostly glow over the institute's sprawling gardens, their reflections shimmering in the still waters of an ornamental lake.
Cen Haiyun initiated her experiment with the precision of a seasoned scientist, her movements deliberate as she placed two items before Little White Cheep: a small, purified energy core, its surface gleaming like a polished sapphire, and an unrefined starbug source crystal, its smoky, ash-gray form flickering with turbid light. The crystal, hazardous to touch, was contained within a sealed, transparent case.
Little White Cheep flapped its wings, landing on the desk with a soft thud. Without hesitation, it snatched the energy core in its beak and swallowed it with a satisfied "gulp."
Though Cen Haiyun was aware of the sparrow's ability to consume energy cores, the sight still jolted her, a ripple of awe breaking her composed facade.
Regaining her focus, she cautiously opened the case containing the source crystal. Its murky radiance seemed to pulse, an eerie contrast to the core's clarity.
Little White Cheep spared the crystal a fleeting glance before turning away, fluttering back to Baisha's shoulder with disinterest.
Cen Haiyun nudged the crystal closer, but the sparrow remained unmoved, its black, bead-like eyes fixed elsewhere.
"It seems Her Highness's mental entity can only absorb purified mental force," Cen Haiyun sighed, her voice tinged with both relief and curiosity.
Purified mental force could be derived from refined source crystals or was innate to imperial citizens, though the two were not identical. No citizen—save Baisha—could enhance their mental force by directly absorbing energy cores.
The next question was whether Little White Cheep could consume another's mental force.
No precedent existed for such a test. Using a human subject would be unethical—absorbing mental force could harm the donor's health, and if the loss were permanent, it could render them mentally impaired. Who would bear that responsibility?
Even Cen Haiyun, tempted to volunteer, lacked the resolve to risk it.
She voiced these concerns to the emperor, who, after a moment's silence, said, "Then let it be me."
Baisha's eyes widened, her voice thick with reluctance. "Uncle, that's unnecessary. I don't want to absorb anyone's mental force."
"You possess a unique ability," Cecil Ronin insisted, his tone unyielding yet measured. "Whether you use it or not is your choice, but you must understand it fully."
With that, a ripple of spatial energy shimmered around his shoulder. A majestic Xuan Bird emerged, its azure plumage radiant, its long, flowing tail feathers nearly brushing the floor. It was a creature of myth, its beauty otherworldly, its serene eyes fixed on Baisha as it emitted a low, melodious call.
Little White Cheep tilted its head, then darted toward the Xuan Bird, burrowing into its luminous feathers, tumbling playfully in the soft glow.
The Xuan Bird tolerated the antics with patient grace, its wings draped lazily, until it grew exasperated. With a gentle nip, it seized Little White Cheep's short tail feathers and plucked it out.
Little White Cheep: "Cheep-squawk."
Nestling against the Xuan Bird, it fell silent, unusually docile.
Baisha: [...]
"This won't work," she said, shaking her head with concern. "It'll get its feathers plucked bald by your mental entity."
It had never been this quiet in her hands!
Clearly, the Xuan Bird's presence exerted a primal dominance.
"I'll keep it in check," Cecil assured her. "It won't come to that."
He paused, his gaze sharpening. "But you—your 'absorption' relies solely on your mental entity's instincts. You should have greater control."
Baisha hesitated, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
Little White Cheep, sensing her indecision, turned its beady eyes toward her, as if awaiting her command.
Let's try, she decided.
The sparrow launched skyward, chirping twice at the Xuan Bird. A silver vortex materialized in the air, mental force coalescing into a swirling current, flecked with crystalline sparks.
The Xuan Bird remained unruffled, its tail feathers swaying gently in the vortex's pull.
Nothing happened.
Undeterred, Little White Cheep puffed its chest, flapped its wings, and unleashed a piercing cry—
The sound seemed to pierce the minds of everyone present.
Cen Haiyun's eyes gleamed with anticipation. That cry was strikingly akin to a Xuan Bird's!
Baisha focused, attempting to manipulate the vortex. It expanded, its rotation accelerating, transforming into a nebula-like storm, brewing a spectacle of raw power.
A sudden gust swept through the room.
Cen Haiyun shielded her eyes, then felt a numbing ache at the base of her skull. Behind her, her mental entity—a black peregrine falcon—began to manifest, only to dissolve into a translucent wisp, its outline fraying like ash, drawn inexorably toward the silver vortex—
"Stop."
Cecil's low command snapped Baisha from her trance.
Her unfocused eyes widened, and she halted the absorption. The vortex vanished instantly, as if it had never been.
Cen Haiyun gasped, clarity returning as she clutched her head, stumbling to a nearby chair. "Ugh…"
Baisha recalled Little White Cheep to her mental space, her gaze darting to Cen Haiyun with alarm. "I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"
Cen Haiyun's forehead glistened with sweat.
"I'm fine, just dizzy," she said, biting her tongue to anchor herself, a wry smile forming. "It really felt like my soul was being pulled out…"
The pain had subsided, but the lingering dread remained.
Relieved to see Cen Haiyun unharmed, Baisha turned to Cecil, frowning. "Uncle, my target was you."
Cecil seemed unsurprised. "Perhaps because my mental entity is of the same lineage. Or maybe yours can only absorb from those weaker than you."
Baisha had proven she could absorb others' mental force, but her control was erratic—Cen Haiyun had been an unintended casualty.
Baisha opened her mouth to speak but faltered, instead approaching Cen Haiyun again. "I'm really sorry. Are you sure you're okay?"
Cen Haiyun rose, taking a few steady steps, her pallor easing. She managed a faint smile. "I'm fine."
Cecil's timely intervention had limited the damage. She felt no exhaustion or anomalies, only a lingering weakness from the scare.
The sensation of her mental entity being consumed was terrifying, like teetering on the brink of oblivion.
Baisha wielded such a fearsome power…
"Since you were caught in the crossfire, rest well," Cecil said. "If you experience any issues, come to me. The imperial family will compensate you generously."
"No need," Cen Haiyun said, rubbing her temples. "I can feel I'm alright. The lost mental force will recover with rest."
As a 3S-level mental force user, her resilience was exceptional, and she was already rebounding.
"This stays confidential," Cecil ordered. "Today's records are not to be filed in the institute's archives."
Cen Haiyun nodded crisply. "Understood."
She lowered her gaze, concealing a tumult of emotions.
Mental entity clashes were common in the empire, sometimes resulting in one overpowering another. Even severe injuries didn't destroy an entity; its form remained intact, though weakened, potentially recovering over time or lingering in frailty.
But Baisha's "absorption" had instilled a primal fear in Cen Haiyun, as if her bond with her entity could have been severed entirely.
Such knowledge, if leaked, would harm Baisha. Even the most open-minded imperials would struggle to accept a royal with such a power.
Cen Haiyun sighed, troubled. She'd thought Cen Yuehuai's issues were challenging, but Baisha's were on another level.
"Your Highness, refrain from using this ability for now," she advised. "If you need mental force, stick to energy cores."
Baisha nodded, her expression subdued.
Noticing her fatigue, Cecil decided it was time to leave. They departed for Youdu Star's imperial palace.
On the journey, Baisha's face remained shadowed, devoid of her usual spark.
Cecil, observing her melancholy, said, "The laboratory you wanted is complete."
Baisha: [...]
"It's connected to your personal workshop," he continued, "equipped with the empire's finest instruments."
Baisha blinked, a flicker of interest returning.
"I've selected researchers for you—top experts in mech material development. True masters are hard to recruit, but these should suffice. If you need more, the Imperial Mech Design Institute can assist."
Cecil's efforts to lift her spirits were working. Baisha's mood visibly brightened.
She wasn't one to dwell on emotions. When introspection loomed, she threw herself into work to refocus.
Upon landing on Youdu Star, she skipped dinner—ignoring Cecil's disapproving frown—and dove into the laboratory.
The lab's director, Xiu Wen, wore a visible light-brain, its holographic display perpetually hovering in his field of vision. He appeared youthful, but Baisha, accustomed to the empire's ageless facades, judged him by his credentials: a Tianquan Military Academy graduate, mentored by luminaries, excelling in research, experimentation, and manufacturing. Sharp and efficient, his only quirk was his aversion to low-paying work.
The imperial salary was clearly his primary motivator.
Joking aside, working for the royals on Youdu Star offered freedom outside of tasks, luxurious accommodations, and a salary surpassing his previous projects' budgets. The only drawbacks were the royal branding on his work and a slight curb on academic freedom—a dream job otherwise.
He treated Baisha less like a superior and more like a benefactor.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness. You may call me Xiu Wen," he said with a warm smile, ushering her into a lounge. Robots delivered tea, water, and pastries. "How may I serve you?"
He assumed his role would involve tweaking her mech or designing trinkets.
Instead, Baisha sent him a digital file spanning thousands of pages.
"…Mycelium materials?" Xiu Wen froze, spotting the "Top Secret" label. He skimmed it in five minutes, stunned. "Isn't this Master Jiang Gui's research project?!"
Well-connected, Xiu Wen was privy to industry whispers, but this file's detail surpassed anything Jiang Gui had publicly shared.
Baisha remained calm. "It's been entrusted to me. Review it thoroughly, then we'll discuss."
Why would Jiang Gui entrust this to the royals?
Xiu Wen's mind raced with theories, but he buried them, diving into the file.
Whether the royals coveted the project's potential or Baisha sought to claim Jiang Gui's work for fame, Jiang Gui—known for his pride—had yielded. What place did a mere researcher have to question?
Xiu Wen chose discretion.
Initially distracted, he soon found the material captivating.
Minutes later, Baisha asked, "Finished?"
Xiu Wen, having skimmed, nodded.
Baisha continued, "The technical concepts and applications for mycelium materials are established. Master Jiang Gui even validated key functions early on. But due to the material's unique and composite nature, we need to build a database and perform targeted microstructural performance calculations…"
Xiu Wen scribbled notes on his light-brain, struggling to keep pace as Baisha rattled off requirements with ease, as if she'd conducted the tests herself.
The more he listened, the more he realized she'd invested genuine effort.
"This is a delegated task, but there's a five percent profit share," Baisha said, raising an eyebrow. "Mycelium materials have limitless potential. I want our lab to not only complete this task but produce samples, then engineer and productize them."
Xiu Wen understood: she aimed to transform the material into practical reality.
"Mycelium materials are one step from completion," he said, still incredulous. "Why would Master Jiang Gui delegate this on such generous terms?"
"No misunderstanding," Baisha said, sipping her tea. "The five percent is mine, but I'll allocate one percent to the team. Jiang Gui is my mentor. I contributed to the mycelium project. The five percent may seem high, but think of it as a teacher's gift to a student."
Xiu Wen: [...!]
Envy twisted his expression.
A mentor gifting a student such a lavish "entry present"? Unheard of!
More shocking: Jiang Gui had taken a disciple?
This royal was his apprentice?
Xiu Wen wiped his face, shedding any lingering perfunctory attitude.
She was knowledgeable, demanding flawless results. And that one percent profit share could yield a fortune.
Baisha was pouring funds into the lab, determined to achieve excellence.
Despite the looming overtime, wasn't this a rare opportunity?
No boss was more generous!
Xiu Wen took a deep breath, considering. "Prototyping isn't an issue—we'll have samples soon. But maturing the process for mech integration requires extensive refinement experiments…"
"How long?" Baisha asked.
He paused. "Seventeen months. We'll ensure mycelium materials are mech-compatible."
But optimal applications and complementary technologies were unknowns.
Baisha pondered. "If staffing's short, I'll recruit more. I can also connect you with the Imperial Mech Design Institute for technical challenges."
Xiu Wen gasped, envisioning his hair bidding farewell.
"…Seven months," he said, voice strained. "That's the absolute limit, every step on a razor's edge."
Baisha smiled, satisfied. "Good. I expect results in seven months."
The conversation left Baisha radiant, Xiu Wen pale.
After touring the lab, Xiu Wen rallied the researchers for a meeting.
Three days later, he presented Baisha with a procurement list and a headhunting roster.
Baisha: [...?]
Xiu Wen, earnest, said, "Rest assured, the list is vetted—only the skilled, no cronies."
"Fine," Baisha said, stamping the procurement list and keeping the roster. "I'll have it handled."
Xiu Wen visibly relaxed.
He'd feared her earlier promises were mere talk. The signed contract from Jiang Gui brought reality crashing in.
Noticing Baisha's active design console, Xiu Wen glanced at it, captivated by an intricate blueprint. "Your design?"
"Yes. Took days to draft. Been planning it, only recently had time to execute."
The blueprint depicted a long, white knife, its blade gleaming with icy brilliance, its hilt accented with a deep crimson, like a plum blossom in snow. Below, in small script, its name: Vermilion Grace.
"A beautiful blade," Xiu Wen praised. "Its poetic design will attract many buyers."
Baisha gave him an odd look. "It's highly armor-piercing and carries a potent toxin."
Xiu Wen examined the data panel, speechless. The evaluation: "Exemplary Grade."
…My apologies.
A casually crafted Exemplary Grade weapon marked her as at least a senior to master mech designer.
Vermilion Grace, as Xiu Wen noted, was visually stunning, its aesthetics a triumph. But its true strength lay in its near-perfect engineering and a unique toxin.
No one had used this toxin on mechs before—its volatility on metal surfaces was notorious. Baisha had developed a novel composite coating with a toxin catalyst and employed a corrosion-resistant alloy, achieving a delicate balance.
The toxin targeted starbugs.
Mechs were originally designed to combat starbugs, weren't they?
With this symbolic purpose and flawless design, Baisha earned her second Exemplary Grade weapon rating.
After a moment's thought, she attributed the achievement to her virtual ID, "LuckyStar."
With two Exemplary Grade records, "LuckyStar" ascended to Senior Mech Designer status.
At least in weapon design, the title was well-earned.
Her personal design record, however, paled—only one Legendary Grade mech, Thunderflow, suspected of being a coattail credit.
Obsessing over weapons wouldn't do. She needed to excel in broader designs.
Dismissing Xiu Wen, Baisha uploaded Vermilion Grace's blueprint to the Mech Association's auction site.
As she prepared to rest, her light-brain chimed.
A message from Han Cong: [The task is complete, Your Highness. The two Dongluo students will act as if they saw nothing.]
Han Cong had efficiently handled the gag order, likely tying up all loose ends before reporting.
Unwilling to expose her absorption ability, Baisha replied: [Thanks.]
After a ten-second pause, Han Cong sent another message: [This may be abrupt, Your Highness, but are you aware that the Grand Princess's disappearance is tied to the Han family?]